


A Drunken Englishman

by snowshus



Category: Green Men Series - K. J. Charles, Society of Gentlemen - K. J. Charles
Genre: Art, Cocktail Recipes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:48:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27313606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowshus/pseuds/snowshus
Summary: Come get drunk, historically
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17
Collections: Fic In A Box





	1. Quex's Punch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [within_a_dream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/within_a_dream/gifts).



> Hi, since these are mostly just recipes I combined the Society of Gentlemen and Green Men together. I've somewhat combined your two drink prompts. Each group has 2 drinks. One is an actual historic drink the characters might have enjoyed. I attempted to get as close to the original recipe as I could. The second drink is my own creation based on the first drink and incorporating elements from the story. 
> 
> I will include a bit of history about the cocktail, why I think these characters might have drank it, and an explanation of my process in creating my variation.

This first cocktail recipe is not actually a cocktail recipe. If you're reading the Society of Gentlemen book you might notice a certain trend in the drinking habits of the main characters. The upper class characters drink wine and brandy and the lower class characters drink gin. This is a largely accurate portrait of the drinking habits of the English at the this time.* There is one very important part of English drinking culture missing from the books. Punch. Punch was the English drink of choice for most of the 18th and early 19th century. In fact, the Regency period - during which the books take place - was perhaps the height of Punch culture. This when people began experimenting with new flavors and interesting combinations. It was an age of variety, of boldness, of risk, of _champagne_. Every club and society had its own secret punch recipe and a place like Quex's would certainly have one as well.

Our first punch is going to be a very traditional recipe. It's not the sort of punch that would be served by a place like Quex's but would be staple at any gathering hosted by a traditional wealthy family like the Vanes. This particular recipe belongs to ODoherty was originally printed in Blackwood's Magazine in 1824. Traditionalist at this time believed that the only real punch was an arrack punch. 

In A Large Pitcher or Bowl  
Dissolve 2 oz of Sugar in 2 oz of hot water  
Add 2 oz of Lime Juice  
Stir  
Add 6 oz of Arrack   
Add 4 oz of Dark Rum  
Add 12 oz of Cold Water  
Add Ice and Serve with a Sprinkle of Nutmeg  
(Serves 3)

Quex's on the other hand, while not necessarily pushing the envelop, was certainly a place to indulge in the untraditional. As such, the punch I have created for them uses very unconventional ingredients as well as ingredients that would have been frowned upon by Good Englishmen as well using some of the cutting new technology of the 1800s. For the base I went with a drink from a time when society was a little less structured, before the modern classes that cause so much trouble for our various protagonists and will be using mead - a drink made from fermented honey which is as sweet as the love that brings everyone together. In 1767 a brand new technology burst onto the drinking scene - sparkling water. As there are several characters (including our proprietors) who have risen beyond their social expectations carried up like the bubbles, this seemed an appropriate addition for the punch of their Society. However, these are all still men seeped in tradition and really only Silas is interested in up ending it, so we will maintain the traditional essence of lemon. While a traditional punch only uses citrus for flavor Quex's will venture were no punch has gone before - into the land of berries. Blueberries specifically, when mixed with the yellow tinge of mead and lemon becomes a pink that is almost puce in color. To finish it off add a little gin, a liquor with a sordid history in England that in the late 18th century was beginning its climb out of the gutter and into the homes of respectable society.

Before we can make this punch we need to prepare an Oleo Saccharum or Essence of Lemon  
Peel the Zest off of 3 Lemons (try not to get any of the white stuff on in. Vegetable peelers are very effective)  
In a Sturdy Bowl Add the Zest and 3/4 cups of Sugar  
Muddle and Toss until Sugar Begins to Clump  
Transfer to a Resealable Plastic Bag  
Remove as much Air as Possible  
Seal  
Let Stand for at least 4 Hours.

Quex Punch  
In A Large Pitcher or Bowl  
Add the Oleo Saccharum  
Squeeze the Juice from the above 3 Lemons over the Oleo Saccharum  
Add 1/2 Cup of Hot Water (stir until you melt the sugar)  
Add 2 Cups of Mead  
Add 1/2 Cup of Blueberry Syrup  
Add 1 Cup of Gin  
Add 2 Cup of Sparkling Water  
Throw in a Handful of Blueberries  
(Serves 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * What people say and what people actually did is, and always has been, not quite the same. So while gin was often looked down on as a drink for the urban destitute and most wealthy English people would not say they were gin drinkers, it was drunk by everyone. Especially in this time period were the stigma against gin was starting to dissolve. It was no longer quite so scandalous for an Upper Class person to be seen drinking gin, provided of course it was an expensive imported gin from Holland. There is also the issue of intra-class social pressures. We see a much stronger aversion to gin among nouveau-riche than old money in the records. So for example: Gabriel, secure in his standing as the son of a duke, would likely not think twice about drinking low-brow gin in public - in fact, Maltravers might drink low-brow English gin as proof his status being so high that he doesn't have to care. Francis, always aware of his lack of true place among the society, would never be seen drinking gin.


	2. Enjoying A Cocktail

In the prompt, the question was raised of whether or not cocktails existed in the period of time Society of Gentlemen takes place in. The answer is, well, yes but it's not what you think. Now, mixed drinks have been around pretty much since the beginning when we were throwing onions and garlic into our prehistoric beer to make it taste less like moldy socks. But the term cocktail as a description of an alcoholic drink made up of mixed spirits doesn't show up until 1806 where it appears in a New York newspaper article and refers to a specific sort of drink also known as a Bitter Sling. Previous to this cock-tail was slang for the practice shady horse sellers had of sticking a little ginger in the horse's ass so it would seem more perky. It seems to have been used as slang for figging as well, a satirical pamphlet in London in the early 1800s that was making fun some prominent politicians made an "enjoying a cocktail" joke about being one of their subjects being into that. For our purposes I think it's safe to assume Dominic and Silas would be ones most likely to be "enjoying a cocktail" so for them we have here a recipe for the 1806 version of a Cocktail.

An Old-Fashioned Cocktail

1.75 oz Spirit of Your Choice  
1 cube of sugar  
a Dash of Bitters (Aromatic or Orange would be most period appropriate)  
a Splash of Water

Fire is a bit of a theme in the book. Dom affectionately calls Silas a firebrand, the book store burns down, their relationship is the challenging fiery one of the series. So I've leaned a bit into that theme as well, starting with specifying Fireball Whisky* as the base spirit for this twist on the cocktail. A slow constant application of fire turns sugar into caramel, like slow burn of their love changed both Silas and Dom. Apple juice is the final ingredient. Apples are symbolic of knowledge - the love and pursuit of which brings Silas and Dom together. Apples are also symbolic of the fall of man and the loss of innocence, which ties into the William Blake book they both love. Throw in a little ice because the future is here and it came with refrigeration.

Sweet Surrender

1.75 oz Fireball Whisky*  
a Teaspoon of Caramel  
a Splash of Apple Juice  
Over Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Fireball Whisky is spiced with cinnamon so it's not as spicy a flavor as something like peppers but if you'd prefer, substituting a smoky whisky will work just as well. If you go this route I'd recommend replacing the apple juice with a cinnamon apple cider, I think the touch of cinnamon really adds to the over all taste whichever liquid carries it.


	3. The Great War Beneath

Soixante-Quinze

In all likelihood the original French 75 (aka the Soixante-Quinze) was created in Paris either at Henry’s bar or around the corner at Harry’s bar in 1915. However, as with most alcoholic drinks, there is another story. The first mention of the Soixante-Quinze in print claims that it was brought back from the front, mixed from whatever had been requisitioned for the troops. Later stories have added the idea that the name came from the practice of drinking it out of the huge shells of the Canon de 75 modele 1897, a french field gun that was heavily used in the First World War. While I do love this image, in an attempt not to spread too much misinformation, I will point out the name more likely comes from the same naming tradition as the modern B-52, Kamakaze, and Bazooka Joe shots. The implication being this drink will take you out and not any deeper connection to the gun itself. As two enlisted men in the first world war Max and Hugh probably enjoyed a few cocktails made from whatever was available on the front and while they may not have had this particular drink they certainly had one like it.

In a Cocktail Glass  
¾ oz Grenadine  
¾ oz Applejack  
¾ oz Gin  
A squeeze of lemon juice

75 Beneath

75 Beneath is made from potato vodka instead of gin for two reasons. The first being that potatoes are a member of the nightshade family and nothing brings to mind spooky darkness quite like a nightshade. The second being that the potato was never really meant to be alcohol. It’s a slow releasing starchy plant stem that does not easily turn into sugar - the necessary process from which it can then be turned into delicious alcohol. In order to make potato vodka you are working against the nature of what a potato wants to do and in doing so you produce much higher levels of toxic methanol and fusel oils than you do when making vodka from grains*. In much the same way Max and Hugh were twisted from what humans are meant to be and became something tainted and dangerous.

The lemon is replaced with pomegranate juice due to the ties of pomegranates with the underworld and specifically the idea of being only partially under its domain. As Persephone straddled the line between above and below so too do Max and Hugh.

Well keeping the apple and its connection to forbidden knowledge was important, if you try the original recipe you might notice that Soixante-Quinze is a pretty strong drink with very intense, very sweet flavors. In an effort to smooth that out I’ve substituted apple cider for applejack and simple syrup for grenadine.

In a Collins Glass  
6 oz Hard Apple Cider  
1 ½ oz Potato Vodka  
¾ oz Simple Syrup  
Six (large) drops of Pomegranate Juice (the six is just for the whole underworld symbolism feel free to just splash some Pom juice in)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * This toxins get removed out during the filtration step of vodka creation, don't worry I'm not trying to poison you.


	4. Healing Waters

Hot Toddy

The Hot Toddy is what the British drank when they were feeling sick. No one is sure exactly when it first showed up but it was a well known drink by the 1700s. It (supposedly) gets its name from Tod’s Well (also known as Three Foxes Well) situated near Arthur’s seat in Edinburgh (though there are other theories including importation from India). I have found a few references to Tod’s Well having been once considered to either be holy or have healing properties and so I’m running with that. A drink associated with Camelot and healing is the perfect drink for the Walkers of Camlet Moat to enjoy when they’re feeling a little under the weather, for them perhaps it still has a little of that old healing magic.

Hot Toddy  
¾ cup of hot water  
1 ½ oz of Scotch Whisky  
Lemon and Honey to taste

Iced Camlet

Throughout the book the waters of Camlet moat are always described as icy cold and so well I wanted to keep the healing connection to the hot toddy. It felt wrong to make a Camlet hot. Thus the ingredients remain largely the same: whisky (which also happens to be Randolph's drink of choice in the book), lemon, and a little something sweet. However, instead of mixing them together with hot water, we will blend them together with ice and rose ice cream- a connection both to the greenery for which the series gets its name and to Ancient Mesopotamia, connecting it to Saul's history of archaeology, where the rose was first cultivated and used for medicinal purposes- to make an Iced Camlet.

Iced Camlet  
1 ½ oz Scotch Whisky  
1 cup of Lemonade  
1 scoop of Rose Ice Cream  
1 cup of ice


End file.
